Basic equipment

You want to know what equipment to obtain?  All right then!  As I mentioned last month, a lot depends on how “tooled-up” you want to be – it’s really not about the amount of equipment you have but what you produce from it.

What I have is:

• A workbench (bolted to the floor and walls) which is tilted slightly forward so water runs forward
• Waterproofing on the bench (I use 2 mm rubber sheet)
  
• Maybe a sheet of plastic on the wall to prevent splashes (it’s optional but a good idea, depending on your domestic arrangements!)

• A second sheet of rubber to funnel most of the water into a bucket in front of the bench
• An off-cut of pool-deck carpeting on the floor in case I drop something
  
• An earthed power supply which has an emergency cut-out and a waterproof boot on the on/off switch (see picture to left, at back) on the dry/left side of my machine

• A nearby tap with a hose clamped-on which delivers water to the wet/right side of the machine.  Water is delivered to the front of the machine via a series of Loc-Line swivelling hose segments and interchangeable nozzles (they are the best!!) - see picture on left
  
• A double fluorescent strip-light overhead to provide good lighting
• A point carver

So what is a point carver?  Mine is shown in the picture to the left.  The name originated I think with my friend Steve.  It is an all-purpose machine that is powered by, in my case, an old Metropolitan Vickers 0.5 hp washing machine motor that delivers 1500 rpm to a ½” keyed driveshaft.  The motor is arranged with the offtake on the right side for two reasons (both safety-related):

1. The rotation has to be downwards at the front of the bench – when working I brace my hands on the bench or a rest and anything twisted out of my hands is thrown down onto the bench and not up into the air.
   
2. With this arrangement, a normal right-hand threaded nut will tighten due to the rotation of the motor.
   

The motor is attached to an adjustable slide allowing movement forwards and backwards (see picture to left).  The slide is mounted on the heavy frame that is securely bolted to the bench.

There is a stepped pulley on the driveshaft.  The pulley is keyed and grub-screwed onto the shaft.  In front of the motor is a layshaft, mounted on large sealed bearings on either side of the frame.  On this shaft is mounted another stepped pulley, the opposite way around to that on the driveshaft to obtain the largest range of rpm at the work.  It can be slid along the shaft (when loosened) to allow for different spacing of the two pulley “v’s”.  The pulleys are connected by a rubber fan belt, kept taught (but not too tight or you’ll wreck the bearings) by the adjustable motor slide.  On the right end of the layshaft is an internal Morse taper (see picture of the right side of the machine, above), into which various tools and a 1/2” Jacobs chuck can be fitted (see picture below on left).

An admission: I really should have a guard for the belt (safety!) but never got around to adding it.  But since I’m the only person using the equipment I guess it’s fine.
 
There you are – that’s one way of doing it!

Another way of doing things is much simpler:

• Mount an electric drill on its side or end on a bench with a lap (at left and see below) clamped in the chuck.  This is very cost-effective and if you don’t use water to cool the work and your fingers, you don’t have to worry about electrocution!
  
• Use a bucket of water to dip-in the work when it becomes hot
• But, if you don’t use water to keep things cool and moist, there is going to be dust, so you should consider using a mask to protect your lungs, or have lots of fresh air!

What’s a lap you ask?  It’s a heavy flat disk of steel mounted on a shaft that is rotated via the chuck or a Morse taper (see picture above).  On this you can mount a sheet of Wet & Dry paper by use of temporary spray glue.  So when one sheet of any grade (60 – 1500 grit is commonly available) is worn out you peel it off, apply another, trim it with a pair of old scissors and off you go again (see picture on left).
 
A third option is to buy commercially available equipment with all the fancy whistles and bells.  I know little about what is available so won’t try to bluff you about it.

As I say, whichever way you decide to go is equally good – it is entirely up to you.  You will be measured by the quality of your work, not the cost of your equipment.